Week 10 Term 3: Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week 2024 (September 23 - September 27)

Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week 2024

AKE AKE AKE: A forever language

Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week took place in Week 9 of Term 4 (September 16 to September 20). The theme for this year's celebration is 'Ake Ake Ake - a forever language.' ReoMaori.co.nz unpacks this year's theme in saying "It represents the resilience, adaptability and endurance of our language. It also reflects the commitment New Zealanders have to embracing and learning te reo Māori long into the future. Under enduring pressure te reo Māori has shown it will adapt and survive. It grows with our people, our culture and our environment." 

Totara House rehearsal

This year our school celebrated Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week by encouraging each our Houses to learn the School Haka and a Maori Waiata and perform at our whole school assembly in Week 9. As the House Dean, my responsibility was to bring my House together and to get them on board to learn the reo and enjoy the reo through the learning of the haka and waiata. I put together a group of students who I knew were really keen to take part in the celebrations - student's from all walks of life and cultures. We had representation from our Maori, Cook Island Maori, Filipino, Tongan and Samoan communities in our Totara House Kapa Haka Group. 

Rehearsal for Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week

We had a group of around 56 students, led by their House Leaders the group met every lunch time (from Week 7 and Week 8) to learn the haka and waiata. In Week 9 we extended our rehearsals to after school as we wanted to ensure that the student's knew the lyrics and choreography off by heart. Both our Manukura Tane (male leader) and Manukura Wahine (female leader) were appointed after trialing different students to lead the waiata and haka during our rehearsals. Our Manukura Tane and Manukura Wahine were given the job of leading both the haka and waiata - their leadership was important in that they set the tone for everyone else. 

Karakia - Totara House 

This further supports Totara House's approach to leadership - the concept of 'He mahi tahi' - in that we see leadership as a collaboration with our team.  The student's loved the experience of learning the reo, many of whom who have done this before at their previous schools. This was an opportunity for our Maori students to share their reo with their peers, it was an opportunity for us to celebrate Te Reo Maori which supports Maori visibility in our school. Which strengthens Tangata whenua. Ultimately this strengthens us as school. I have reflected on this journey over the last 3 weeks and it has made me question myself 

'Why is it important for students to learn Te Reo Maori?'

'Why is it important for children to learn in their languages?' 

Totara House rehearsal for TWOTMLW '24

Totara House rehearsal for TWOTMLW '24

I believe that children, students, akonga - need to know who they are and have a strong sense of identity. You can have that through without knowing your language. I have had that for most of my student life but now as an adult I am hungry for my language and I understand how important my language is in my identity, in what I do as a teacher. If our students have the language strengthened in their homes and at school, it is a door that opens you to communicate with your families and friends. It opens the door for you to understand your history, your whakapapa, your heritage and your inheritance. I believe that it is important for our children, students and akonga to learn in their language. Many of my student's first language is NOT English. By strengthening their first language, everything else is strengthened. From their literacy in reading, writing to their identity overall. 

Totara House Kapa Haka 2024

Co-founder of the first Samoan Aoga Fa'asamoa Jan Taouma (Early Childhood Center in Aotearoa) who over the last 40 years  has seen thousands of students immersed in their culture and championed the training of bilingual teachers in Aotearoa, states that "It is really important others you just become a brown Pakeha, a brown New Zealander with no real connection so that's how I have always looked at it." I am excited to immerse myself in our language week celebrations as it strengthens my journey in Gagana Samoa. 

Totara House Kapa Haka 2024

 

Week 9 Term 3: Teacher Practice: Highlights from AATEL PLD (September 16 - September 20)

In Week 7 of Term 3, a group from the English Department attended the AATEL (Auckland Association for Teachers of English Literature) professional learning develop workshops. The focus of the workshops for this term is "Spotlight on the Juniors: Engagement, innovation and essential skills" There were three workshops offered. As the presentations were running back to back, we were given the opportunity to attend two out of the three workshops. The workshops were: 

Brave Words - introducing public speaking in the classroom: Oral literacy initiatives, strategies and activities to support the development of public speaking and presenting. (Ormiston Junior College presentation) 

A Step by Step Guide - small group novel studies in year 7-10. (Diocesan School presentation)

Redesigning Junior Program (Years 7 to 10) - to match the new level 1 style. (Dilworth School Presentation)

Tamaki College English Department @ AATEL 2024

The two workshops that I went to was the Small Group Studies (Year 7 - Year 10) and Redesigning Junior Program (Year 7 - Year 10). I will write my highlight and take away points from the workshop that I enjoyed the most. 

Redesigning Junior Program

Some highlights from the workshop

I am in the process of redesigning our Junior English program (Year 9 and Year 10 English). I was interested in this workshop because it spoke to what I am currently doing with our Year 9 and Year 10 English program refresh. As a school, they have decided to create a unit of learning from Year 7 to Year 10 that all Junior teachers teach to in the new junior English program. I really liked their approach to their Junior program and that they are still in the processing of refining it. As state below: 

• Shared Year 7 to Year 10 units in every class. All students get the same learning resources and opportunities
• There is some variation at Year 10 (different choices for novel study, however any teacher can choose any unit)
• At the end of each term, the unit is reviewed with suggested changes and additions logged
• Split up the units and make the changes/additions required
• Review the progressions in each learning strand ensure we are using consistent language, building skills and avoiding repetition (every two years)
• Working on a clear alignment of marking rubrics to ensure the progression of skills is clear from one year to the next

I also liked the different themes for each term and the CATS that they have for each term (they have four assessments that they assess yearly). Which is something I am looking to as I believe that in our current junior English program, our students are over assessed. Some their term themes that they use in their Year 7 to Year 10 English program and assessment opportunities are: 

Term 1: Stories of Auckland, Stories of us (local curriculum) 

From here they write their own Auckland story (narrative writing - Term 1)

Term 2: Reading for BIAS (exploring other people’s perspective)

Year 7 and Year 10 Listening Unit (listening for BIAS) Listen to Podcasts/Speakers and have to identify BIAS

Term 3: Worlds of Poetry (speaking/oral/written poetry) 

Present a poem that they have studied (memorize and speak it and in a PPT)

Term 4: Exam preparation

Other types of assessments to offer:

• Formal Persuasive Speech assessed
• Film Study (Film Study) like a Close View assessed
• Make their own film (film night) - not assessed
• Service Writing - magazine (write service articles about what to expect or top ten things to do @ school for new Year 9 students)

Other assessments for Year 10: 

• Listen to a song (about Springbok), watch the film (about Springbok), Write a diary entry (assessment linked to 1.3) or a formal/argumentative essay - this can be linked to different theme units (for example: climate change)

There are some definite good things that I would like to implement into the new Junior English refresh for our Year 9 and Year 10 English program. I look forward to documenting this. 

Week 8 Term 3: Teacher Practice: Literacy Strategy: Preparing students for the Literacy CAA: Writing (September 09 - September 13)

This year the Literacy and Numeracy Team (Level UP) which consists of myself (HoLA English) and the Heads of Learning Area for Math, Science and Social Sciences have been working with our Year 11 students who do not have Literacy or Numeracy. We have been preparing them for the Literacy and Numeracy Co-Requisites (CAA) which took place in May and we are currently working with our akonga for the September assessment in Week 9 of Term 3. I have documented the journey here: 

Alby’s Blog Post Entry - (25/08/24)

The next steps from my previous post outlines: 

• Hold an intensive class with our Year 11 students for a whole day to get them practicing again with the past Lit and Num papers.
• We will be getting our Year 10 English and Math teachers to use their class time to go through the past Lit and Num papers with their students - in an effort to empower our kaiako to drive effective teaching of literacy in their classrooms.

We have covered the intensive with our Year 11 students and the focus now is on making sure that our students are practicing and preparing for the co-requisite. In this post I am going to look at 32405 (Written Assessment) and what literacy strategies I think will work well when teaching and preparing our students for the assessment. 

UNPACKING THE QUESTION

May 2024 AS 32405 Assessment: Questions 1

Unpacking the question is important. I always go through the question with the students in the class and I give them three tips on how to unpack a question and break it down so that they understand it. 

May 2024 AS 32405 Assessment: Question + Inustructions

Check out the three tips below: 

• Dissect the keywords and phrases: Break down the question to highlight key terms or phrases. These often indicate what you need to focus on or specific areas that need addressing.

• Break down the question into parts: Divide the question into sub questions especially if it has multiple parts. This will help you understand each part of the question and hopefully influence who you answer. 

• Consider the scope: Clarify the scope of the question to ensure your response is focused and relevant. Avoid going off-topic by sticking to what the question specifically asks for and avoiding unnecessary information.

ESSAY STRUCTURE + GRAMMATICAL FEATURES

It is important that the students are aware of TWO things: 

• Essay Structure
• Grammatical Features (specifically sentence structure) 

I am trying to veer away free essay structures but I know that many of students depend on it as it is a good launching pad when they are crafting their text. Some good essay structures that could work well for students when they are crafting their answers for the Literacy Written CAA are: 

TEEPEE Paragraph Structure

APE Paragraph Structure

Sentence structure is a skill that my students will need to nurture going into the CAA. It will help them refine and define their text. 

Sentence Structure:

• Simple Sentences: Contain a single independent clause (e.g., "She runs daily.").
• Compound Sentences: Join two or more independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions (e.g., "She runs daily, and she also swims.").
• Complex Sentences: Combine independent and dependent clauses (e.g., "She runs daily because it keeps her healthy.").
• Compound-Complex Sentences: Feature multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause (e.g., "She runs daily because it keeps her healthy, and she enjoys the exercise.").

These are two literacy strategies are just two ways to engage students with the written assessment. I look forward to adding in more. 

Week 7 Term 3: Totara House: Growing Leadership (September 02 - September 06)

Totara House Term 3 2024

I have enjoyed documenting the Totara House values series that we have covered during our House assembly time. Over the course of Term 2 and Term 3 we have spent time unpacking our House values for 2024 with the House Leaders going through each value and sharing what it means to them. This has been a mana enhancing experience as the students can share and hear what each value means to them and how they can apply it in their life at school and beyond the classroom. I have shared the journey in my reflections which can be found here: 

Alby's Blog Post Entry - (12/05/24)

Alby's Blog Post Entry - (18/08/24)

Totara House Value: PASSION: intense emotion compelling action

In our House assemblies we have looked at the values of 'Discipline' and 'Commitment.' The final value that we looked at our most recent House assembly was 'Passion' and we aligned it with 'Leadership'. The House Leaders discussed what 'Passion' means to them (what do they feel strongly about or what do they love and honor) and how this connects with 'Leadership.' In regards to their passion to serve and lead their House. The reason why I wanted the leaders to discuss the relationship between their passion to lead was that it links to our Year 12 students who are currently interviewing for student leadership 2025. Here are some highlights on what the leaders shared on what passion means to them and how passion connects to leadership. 

Totara House Leadership 2021, 2022, 2023 + 2024

"In terms of how leadership and passion correlate. When a leader is passionate about their role, it shows in their actions and how they interact with the people they are leading. Passionate leaders are those who take enlightenment in leading others, if you lead people with passion then you will surely succeed. A passionate leader will inspire others to join into what you are passionate about achieving. No one has ever been inspired by a leader who is not passionate." (Daliz) 

"I want to encourage you to stay confident. Know that Leadership is not just about holding a title; it’s about serving others. Every one of us has our way of leading, we all have something valuable to offer to the table. You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to make a difference. Sometimes, leading by example or listening can be just as impactful as delivering a big speech. Trust in the abilities that brought you to this point, and use those strengths to exceed your expectations and reach your full potential." (Daliz)

LEADERSHIP: guiding and influencing others toward a common vision or goal is called leadership. 

Totara House Leadership Team 2024 with the 2025 Totara House leadership applicants

The Year 12 students who applied for leadership 2025 (for Totara House) had an opportunity to share and talk to the House at our most recent House assembly. Every year the Year 12 students who apply for leadership for Totara House have the opportunity to introduce themselves to the House and to share why they have decided to apply for the role - this is a chance for the students to put a face to the name when they vote for their leaders. This also an opportunity to grow the leadership early and get the students to share and speak in front of their peers. 

My closing comments for this post is based on my thoughts on leadership that I shared to my House at the end of the assembly. I shared with the house that I believe that: 

Good leadership matters - Good leadership fosters a positive and productive environment, inspiring and motivating individuals to achieve their best. It also ensures effective decision-making and clear communication, which are crucial for the success and growth of the team.

He mahi tahi (leadership is collaboration) - Leadership is all about collaboration because it harnesses diverse perspectives and skills to achieve shared goals, ensuring collective success and innovation.

It’s a process, it’s a relationship - Leadership is about process and relationship because it involves guiding a team through systematic approaches while building trust and rapport to effectively achieve goals and foster a positive work environment.

Learning how to lead together - Learning to lead together as a group is important because it fosters collective problem-solving and ensures that all voices are heard, leading to more innovative and effective solutions.